Select committee: European Affairs Committee
Recommendation 9
4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Published 29 Apr 2023
Paragraph 61
European Affairs Committee The future UK-EU relationship All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
It is indicative of the inactivity of the institutions established under the TCA that the Partnership Council, the senior-level body that oversees implementation of the agreement, has met only twice in the almost two-and-a-half years since the TCA came into force, with the second of these meetings not taking place until March 2023. We recommend that this body should meet, at a bare minimum, twice per year. It should also meet at short notice wherever issues that require input from the UK Ministers and EU Commissioners responsible for UK-EU relations arise in other forums.
From: European Affairs Committee, 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship, paragraph 61, 29 April 2023
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 30 June 2023 (deadline 29 June 2023).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government agrees with the Committee on the importance of regular UK-EU dialogue and cooperation, while declining or only noting several recommendations on institutional reform, defence, education and mobility.
- On Horizon Europe, it is in discussions and hopes they "will be successful", but says participation "must" be "fair for UK researchers, businesses and taxpayers"; it will implement its alternative, Pioneer, "if we are not able to secure association on fair and appropriate terms".
- On the Partnership Council meeting at least twice a year, it notes the TCA says 'at least once a year' and is "open to it meeting more often where business requires it".
- On education, it says it is "not exploring" adding a reciprocal element to the Turing Scheme, and "does not intend to negotiate resuming participation in any aspect of Erasmus+", citing value for money and the taxpayer.
- On linking emissions trading schemes, it "partially agrees"; "no decision on linking has been made" but it remains "open to cooperating with the EU on carbon pricing".